Separable fastener.



G. SUNDBACK.

SEPARABLE F'ASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-27, 1914.

1,21 9,881 v Patented Mar. 20,1917.

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emisor sunnnacx, -or nmnvxnm, remisnvama,

estanca 'ro HooxLEss' FASTWEB COKPANY, CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

'Y l susanna Specification of Letters Iatent.

FASTENEB.

Patented Mar. 20, 1917.

appunti mea' mmm 21, 1914. .semina staats.

i To all whom it ma concern;

Be it known t at I, GmnoN SUNnBAcx, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at Meadville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separable Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

lhis invention relates to separable fastype of fastener for garments and other urposes, where two iiexible stringersA are ocked andunlocked by a sliding cam-de` vice mounted on both members, the locking being effected by movement in one direction and unlocking by an opposite movement. f

The objects of the present invention are to decrease the weight and bulk, to increase the flexibility and security of locking, and

to provide one foi-m of locking member for both stringers, so constructed and arranged that when properly positioned relatively to each other on the stringers they lock and unlock upon proper movement of the cam sliding device. A further object of the invention is to simplify the cam sliding device, which is possible owing to the reduction of locking members to one form for both stringers, insteadof the different forms heretofore employed on the respective stringers. i

According to the present invention, the stringers are alike, as in some prior types of this fastener, preferably consisting v as herein shown of a fabric tape provided with a beaded or corded edge, upon which the locking members are clamped. The locking members are all alike, and therefore interchangeable, and in general form consist .of contractible jaw portions which are clamped upon the tape and projecting locking portions of elongated cup shape, so that the outside of one member nests within'the recess Yof an adjoining member when in locked relation. Consequently, it' will be seen that the members on one'stringer al-. ternate'with those on the other, so that when the sliding operating device is 'moved back and forth, the lookin members will be engaged and disengag accordin -to the di rection of movement. A furt er feature of the invention resides in the shape and configuration of the locking members, these beingas shown in enlarged Vscale .on the drawings, provided with exterior and interior rounded surfaces, and are somewhat elongated transversely. Thereby. a snug fit is obtained and at the same time ample provision is iven for movement of one on the other wit out coming out when the fastener is fiexed transversely. At the same time this construction gives facility for relative longitudinal movement without disengagement.l teneis, and has particular reference to that In the accompanying drawings: K Figure 1 1s a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a fastener embodying the ncr of locking and unlocking;

Fig. 3 is a cross of Fig. 1; 4 Fig..4 is ing` members showing the recess;

Fig. 5 is a cross section thereof on the line 5 5 of Fig.- 4;

section on the line 3 3 Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the stringers. `Fi 7 is a cross section thereof on the line 7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a cross section of the slider, and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of the locking members. A

1 1 represent stringers which preferably will be made ofv Woven tape having sewed a detail -view .of one of the lockthereto on opposite sides cords 2 2 to form a beaded edge. 3 represents the line of stitching as employed in the preferred construction. Each of these stringers may be secured together at one end by fastening links 4, and will have at the opposite'end .a stop vmember 5. These stop members 5 pass into the slider and limit the locking movement of the slider when they strike each other, becauseit will be seen from the drawings that the total heights of the stop members 5 when they are in contact with each other is greater than the totalwidth of the channel. at the bottom of the slider. 6 represents the sliding cam operating device, which consists of two stamped.- sides 7 each havin a Y-shaped channel forming a tongue, wit theinsides separated to permit passage'of the tape portion'of the stringers 1. 8 represents a cap having a point to litbetween the diverging channels, and 'secured to the slider by a rivet 14. 15 is a ring in which may be placed an o rating tape or bow 1 6.. The stampings may be integral and doubled over or they may be separate, in either event a rigid structure being provided when the cap 8 is applied thereto and the rivet 14 set. l

Fig. 4 represents one of the locking members, which consists of jaws 17-17 having a base portion 9 which isstamped or otherwise formed to provide an external locking projection l0 and an internal recess 11. These members, as well as the locking members 4 and the stamp members 5 are stamped out of flat metal, and the jaws 17, 17 of the locking members are spread apart as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 so as to pass over the corded `edges 2 of the stringers. Then the jaws are set by a die press orlother suitable means, the jaws thereby becoming firmly clamped to the -stringers y the compression of the corded edges 2. This will be seen in Fig. 3, where the corded edges have been distorted by the setting of the locking members thereon so as to completely fill theslot in the locking members, and the jaws 17, 17 engaging firmly on the tape immediately behind the corded edges.

From the assembly in Fig. 1, it will be seen that the members 17 on. one Stringer alternate with those on the other Stringer,

and consequently it is possible to make the members on both stringers alike and cause them to lock and unlock readily, and remain'. 'locked even while the fastener is almost doubledon itself.

At the same time, owing to the rounded and transversely elongated shape of the projections and recesses, the fastener is very flexible without being loose. Flexibility is also increased by reason of the relatively large number of locking members provided, which is possible because these members are thin and their projections and recesses can be proportioned so that one will not touch another when the fastener is bent transversely. This is an important consideration in fasteners'of this type. Thus it will be seen that the, shape of the projections and recesses is y`such that when engaged, the stringers have practically nojmovement of separation, but yet the engagement is secure without lbeing stiff, because the locking members on one Stringer can rock or oscillate freely relatively to those on the other Stringer without disengagement.

By the present invention, an improved fastener has been produced which is much more simple and cheap to manufacture than othersheretofore invented, because both stringers as well as the respective members thereon, are alike, and the members themselves can all be made by simple die operations from flat material. The only assembling operations are those required to attach the members to the tapes. The finishing of the locking members such as smoothing or tumbling is very simple, because all are alike and the dies can be so designed as not toi,

require much subsequent finishing of these members. It will be understood that the connecting members/i and the stop members 5 may have jaws 17 on each end similar to Stringer construction, are separately claimed in my application continuous herewith Serial No. 19,474 filed April 6, 1915.

Having thus described my invention, what I declare as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A fastener comprising a pair of iiexible stringers, interlocking members secured at one end thereto in staggered relation, each member having atV the free end a rounded recess on one side and a corresponding projection on the opposite side, the recessed side and the end surface of the projection of each member meeting in an edge and constituting guiding ineans enabling said members to ride one on the other 3. A fastener comprising a pair of ieXi-ii ble stringers, interlocking members secured thereto in staggered relation, each member having a recess on one side and a projection of similar shape on the other, said projections having inclined ends continuous with the recessed side of the member to engage and guide the coperating member over and into engagement therewith.

41. A fastener comprising a pair of like fabric stringers, a series of like interlocking members secured to the abutting edges of each Stringer, those on one Stringer alternating with those on the other and having interlocking projections, means sliding on both stringers for actuating said members to lock and unlock according to its direction of movement, a double jaw stop member connecting both stringers at one end,

and a separate stop member adapted to pass iso nepal a sliding operating device mounted thereon .composed of two plates havin diverging channels therein, a doubled cap tween the stop member on at least one Stringer at the other end.

-7. An opening and closing device for shoes, corsets, and other articles of wear, comprising interlocking members on the parts of the articles to be fastened together, a manually controlled slide having a chamber open at one end for the passage of the interlocking members, the side walls of said chamber having. inclined-faces, the slide having a tongue centrally disposed in said chamber and adapted to engage the said interlocking members on movingl the slide in one direction to unlock and open the said members, the said slide when moved in the opposite direction closing the said members, stopping means at one end of the interlocking members to limit the opening movement of the slide, and stopping members at the other end of the interlocking members and adapted to abut against each other, the outer ends of the last mentioned stopping members engaging the inclined faces of the side walls of said chamber to y limit the closing movement of the slide.

8. An opening and closing device for shoes, corsets and other articles of wear, comprising interlocking members on the Y- parts of the article to be fastened together,

movement thereof, stopping members at the other end of the interlocking members and adapted to abut against each other, the said opener being provided with inclined surfaces adapted to be engaged by said stopping membersto limit the closing movement of thrflipener.

opening and closing device comprising -flexible carriers adapted to be sef cured to the parts to bc opened and closed, interlocking membersattached alternately to the saidcarriers, a manually controlled slide having a chamber open at one end for the passage of the interloc sides of said chamber having slots for the passage ofthe carrier, a tongue disposed in said chamber near the other end of the slide and separating the chamber into sidewise extending branch channels, open at the sides for the passage of theinterlocking members, the side walls of said chamber having inclined faces, and abutting members secured to the carriers at one end thereof and adapted to engage the inclined faces of the side wall of saidchamber to prevent the shde from disengagement with the interlocking members.

An opening and closing device, compr1s1ng ilexible carriers adapted to be secured along 'their outer edges to the parts to "be opened and closed, interlocking members attached alternately to the free edges ofthe said carriers, each interlocking member having a pin, a recess, the pin of an interlocking member on one carrier being adapted to engage the recess of the adjacent'v interlocking member o n the other carrier, a

manually controlled slidemounted to slide kingmembers, the'l l on the said carriers and provided with a chamber, the side walls of said chamber having inclined faces, the said slide having a separating tongue adapted.- to engage the free ends of the said interlocking members to separate and unlock the members on vmoving the slide in one direction, the said vslide when moved in the opposite direction moving the said interlocking members into interlocking engagement, and a pair of stopping members on the beginning ends of the said carriers and ada ted to abut against each other adjacent t e point of the said tongue to limit the closing movement of the said slide, the outer ends of said stopping members abutting against the inclined faces of the side Walls of the said chamber.

11. The combination in a fastener with a pair of stringers carrying interlocki members, and a sliding operating device, o

means at one end of said stringers for limiting the opening movement of said operating device and a member on the other end of each )Stringer adapted to pass into said Aoperating device and to engage with the other end member to limit closing movement ofsaid sliding operating device.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GIDEON SUNDBACK.

Witnesses:

Lnwrs C. BELL, MAUDE 'Hmm misionera/1ER 1,219,881-de0n Sumlback, Meadville, Pa. SEPARABLE FASTENR. Patent dated March 20, 1917. Disclaimer tiled April 6, 1932, by the assignee, Hoolcless Fastener Company. l Therefore disclaims: From. the scope of each of claims 1, 2 and 3, any fastener except one in which the longitudinal thickness of the interlocking members and the distances, if any, between the 'sides of the members and the sides' of the recesses and projections, are so slight as to enable the fastener to be bent sharply transversely of its length Without opening automatically.

(Official Gazette April 26, 1932.) 

